Anyone else have any issues with road smells entering the cabin?

[Ciulster]

Not sure if this is just me or just a characteristic of the car in general but does anyone else think their cabin air filter SUCKS? Ever since day one I've had issues with smells entering the cab unless the air intake was set to recirculate, unlike any other car I've ever driven.

I understand that there are going to be smells and some will slip past the cabin air filter, but I've never had any car that moves this much unfiltered air into the cab. It's to the point where I can smell the exhaust of cars in front of me going 50mph down the highway if they are burning a little bit of oil or runing rich, despite no visible smoke coming from their tailpipe. I can smell people smoking as I drive by with the windows up and in one raunchy incident the smell of some roadkill that was being picked at by crows on the side of the highway.

I know the factory filter is probably nothing to write home about but it seems to be still relatively clean last I checked it. Wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences or has fixed the issue with an aftermarket filter? As I've posted about before my HVAC system tends to whistle like a kettle when the heater on the passenger side is on. I'm concerned something over there might not be sealed right from the factory.

I've never experienced this in any other car and 50% of the cars I have daily driven before were so old they didn't even have cabin air filters....

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[Starship Enterprise]

Interesting….well you can always get an aftermarket Hepa Carbon cabin air filter for about $20, and install it your self and save the $100 a dealer would charge. if not sure how, there’s always a Youtube video showing how to change one. Installation videos on Youtube have saved me a ton of money over the years, as some cabin air filters in some cars are really tricky to get to, but easy once you know exactly where they are, and what to remove to get to them.

In the meantime, if you get behind something smelly, you can set the air to “recirculate” until you find a better filter.

My car is so new I haven’t driven it enough to get a firm comparison to relate to your situation….but I’m working on it….lol.

 

[erocker]

I really haven't at all. I think you're correct that there's a problem somewhere.

 

[86pagt]

It ls not just the S650..My 19 was just like the ‘24… the Pure-Flow helped but doesn’t totally filter it all out..Amazon around $25

 

[Ciulster]

It ls not just the S650..My 19 was just like the ‘24… the Pure-Flow helped but doesn’t totally filter it all out..Amazon around $25

Thanks for the recommendation! I don't mind most smells if I know they're coming. I just hate that random whiff of oil burning or hot plastic that comes off other cars without warning. Lots of junkers in this town that from a distance look like they are well maintained. Always makes me panic that it's me suddenly making an embarrassing smell. Overly paranoid much?

 

[Wiley Marmot]

No such issue/smell for me. Hope you get it squared away!

PS: Thanks for the tips about the HEPA filters! Didn't know there were such things.

 

[goodlettjr]

It has been a while since I used the recirculation feature on my mustang, but my wife uses it religiously on her car. Doesn't it only stay on for a short period of time, then turn off?

 

[Ciulster]

It has been a while since I used the recirculation feature on my mustang, but my wife uses it religiously on her car. Doesn't it only stay on for a short period of time, then turn off?

It does seem to want to turn itself off after certain conditions have been met. For me it feels completely random and I can't figure out the logic behind it. The only way I've been able to keep it on 99% of the time is to run the A/C and keep the temperature set to room temp or below.

 

[MegaMan]

I always get blamed for the car smelling like farts swear it’s not me

 

[Starship Enterprise]

The logic behind limited recirculation is that you are sitting in a relatively airtight cabin and without fresh air coming in, carbon dioxide can build up as well as all the toxic gasses from your interior.

Wonder why your windshield gets that film inside and you don’t even smoke? That’s the vinyl constantly off-gassing. I used to design stickers and got complaints that they would eventually peel off vinyl notebook covers. That’s when I learned about vinyl gas-off.

That new car smell? Mostly glue….lol. Some leather.

 

[Alan Applegate]

Here in the desert SW there are a lot of skunks. If you hit one, I'll guarantee you'll smell it for several days even if you wash the underside.

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